April 22, 2014

Snyder: Redskins "not an issue"

By Erik BradyBegay, whose Notah Begay III Foundation will receive a national award Wednesday, spoke to USA TODAY Sports before Snyder spoke. Begay called Snyder's foundation "a gimmick ... to try to offset some of the public disdain for the name of his football team. The Washington football team's front office has tried to make the issue about them and it's really not about them. It's about, unfortunately, the NFL and its owners and its corporate partners condoning use of that word.

"I don't think if a similar racially offensive word was used for the Hispanic, African American or Jewish communities that it would be tolerated. But because the American Indian people historically have not had much political leverage, or because we don't represent a great amount of buying power from a retail standpoint, we don't get the same level of treatment that everyone else in this country gets."

The NB3 Foundation withdrew support from a charity golf tournament in Arizona this month when it learned the OAF was title sponsor. Begay, who is Navajo, Isleta Pueblo and San Felipe Pueblo, is on the golf broadcast teams for NBC and the Golf Channel. Begay's foundation won the Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy in 2012 (named for the late UCLA basketball star Steve Patterson, who also played in the NBA.) Today Begay's foundation and the Philadelphia Eagles Youth Partnership will each receive $10,000 as winners of the Legacy Award that goes to Patterson Award winners that best used the award as a platform for growth.Snyder defends "Redskins"

By Joseph WhiteWashington Redskins owner Dan Snyder said Tuesday it’s time for people to “focus on reality” concerning Native American matters instead of criticizing the team’s nickname.

“We understand the issues out there, and we’re not an issue,” Snyder said. “The real issues are real-life issues, real-life needs, and I think it’s time that people focus on reality.”

Challenged by those who consider the name “Redskins” offensive, Snyder and his staff recently traveled to Native American reservations and last month established a foundation to assist American Indian tribes. He had declined requests to answer questions about the foundation until Tuesday.A few tweets in response:

By David RamseyDanny Boy Snyder is such a riot. He’s a rich guy who believes he can dictate reality. He announced yesterday that his team’s nickname–the Redskins–is “not an issue.”

Only the nickname is an issue. And will remain an issue. A contentious, lingering issue that will follow Danny Boy around for as long as he refuses to drop a racist moniker.

Snyder pretends Native American support is unanimous. It’s not. I am on record as opposing the Redskins moniker, but I’ve never pretended all Native Americans agree with me. Several polls claim the majority of Native Americans support the nickname, but we’re still waiting for a comprehensive poll that will clarify the issue.

Danny Boy should listen to Michele Companion, a member of the Mohawk Nation and our local Native American community. She does not feel honored by the Redskins moniker.

“I find the Redskins nickname degrading. I find all the nicknames racist, hurtful, offensive. . The fact that we’re still treated like cartoon characters is not a small issue. It’s a reflection of how so many people in society actually see us.”Olbermann's Three Worst People: Dan Snyder, Dan Snyder and Dan SnyderKeith Olbermann doesn't pull his punches, and he's not to everyone's taste. But for his fans, one of the most beloved bits he does is always his countdown of the three most unpleasant--in his extremely opinionated opinion--people in the news on a given day. Called "Worst Person in the World," it's a tradition he's carried over from his news/politics show that ran on MSNBC from 2003 to 2012 to his current gig as a long-form sports pundit on ESPN2. (Techincally it is now called "Worst Person in the Sports World").

"Worst Person" is always three different people, with just one exception we're aware of (and we do not claim to have seen every show Olbermann has ever done)--in November 2005, he gave Fox News personality Bill O'Reilly all three (Worse, Worser and Worst) un-coveted honors.

Make that two exceptions. Last night, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder hit the Worst Person trifecta.